The ten-day pledge

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao ran up to Zhang Yong.

When she saw that Zhang Yong could not even stand, then saw the resolve on Zhang Teng's face, she realized something.

"I... lost. Help me up."

Once he was supported upright, Zhang Yong gave Zhang Teng a long look, then glanced at Lin Bei.

In the end, he said nothing else, merely uttering a few quiet words.

"Let's go!"

"Go?" Zhang Xiaoxiao was still a little bewildered, as if she could not believe Zhang Teng was letting them leave.

"Go on!" Lin Bei waved a hand.

Only then did Zhang Xiaoxiao breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as the two reached the entrance to the Martial Arts Grounds.

Zhang Teng suddenly spoke.

"Xiaoxiao!"

Zhang Xiaoxiao froze, her steps coming to a halt.

"Take care."

Although Zhang Teng's words seemed caring, Zhang Xiaoxiao heard a trace of grim resolve in them.

"Oh, you take care too."

With that, Zhang Xiaoxiao supported Zhang Yong as they disappeared through the entrance to the Martial Arts Grounds.

Outside the Martial Arts Grounds.

Zhang Yong sighed.

"Xiaoxiao, do you know what Zhang Teng meant when he told you to take care?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao looked at Zhang Yong in confusion.

"Grandpa, what do you mean? Wasn't my brother telling me to take care because he cares about me?"

Cares?

Zhang Yong gave a self-mocking smile.

"Take a look at this!"

Zhang Xiaoxiao took the Challenge Letter her grandfather handed her, written by Zhang Teng himself, and was utterly stunned.

"Do you understand now?"

Zhang Yong said bitterly, "He was telling you, in a roundabout way, not to stop him or stand against him. Otherwise... he won't show you mercy."

For a time, grandfather and granddaughter looked at each other in silence.

A long while passed.

"Grandpa, did you lose to Master Lin of the Martial Arts Grounds?"

Zhang Xiaoxiao's voice broke the silence.

"No, I lost to Zhang Teng."

"You lost to my brother?" Zhang Xiaoxiao froze, her face full of disbelief.

Not long ago, Zhang Teng had been unable to defeat Zhang Tao and needed his master's guidance to turn defeat into victory.

And now he could actually defeat her grandfather?

This was simply.

Beyond belief.

Just then, Lin Bei's figure appeared in her mind.

The sight of him turning Zhang Teng's defeat into victory with a single, casually spoken sentence had been far too stunning.

Zhang Xiaoxiao could not help asking, "Did his master guide him?"

"No!"

Zhang Yong shook his head in silence.

"How is that possible? You're an expert in the martial dao true intent realm! How could..."

Zhang Yong gave a bitter laugh.

"But that is what happened. I lost to Zhang Teng."

Zhang Xiaoxiao was shaken to her core...

After a moment of silence, she could not help speaking.

"Grandpa... if my brother really goes, will you attack him?"

Although Zhang Xiaoxiao already knew the answer in her heart-she had known from the moment Zhang Yong called him Zhang Teng instead of Teng'er.

Still... she could not help asking.

Zhang Yong said nothing, merely gazing silently into the distance.

Only after a long while did he speak.

"I... don't know."

Zhang Xiaoxiao fell silent... Don't know?

Did he truly not know, or could he simply not bring himself to say it?

"Why did things turn out like this?" Zhang Xiaoxiao could not help weeping. "My brother was never the one in the wrong, was he?"

At the Martial Arts Grounds.

Zhang Teng took the initiative to explain, in full, why he had issued the Challenge Letter.

As it turned out.

The world of martial artists had a rule: any feud could be settled by issuing a challenge letter!

Once it was officially sanctioned, it became an honorable contest between martial artists.

This method of dueling through a challenge letter was widely accepted among martial artists.

Whether a martial hall, a clan, or an academy, any institution that approved the terms of the challenge letter could sanction it.

While the sanction was in effect, the Central Hall would send experts to provide protection.

Zhang Teng had chosen to issue a Challenge Letter after weighing all the factors.

Now, the Zhang Household kept sending people to capture him and would not let the matter rest.

If the Nanyang Zhou Clan heard that the Zhang Household had failed to capture him, there was no guarantee they would not intervene themselves.

Then the Martial Arts Grounds would be worn out dealing with them.

Rather than that, it was better to seize the initiative and issue a Challenge Letter!

Doing so would actually buy him a great deal of time.

After hearing this, Lin Bei wholeheartedly agreed.

Sometimes, that was how things worked: fearing trouble only brought more trouble, while throwing one punch could spare you a hundred more.

Although Zhang Teng sometimes gave Lin Bei the impression that he was a little dim.

In this matter, he had to admit that Zhang Teng had thought things through thoroughly.

After hearing Zhang Teng's complete plan, Lin Bei immediately summoned Xiao Liuzi.

"Xiao Liuzi!"

"Coming!" Xiao Liuzi ran over swiftly. "Master, you called?"

"Take your senior brother Zhang's Challenge Letter to the Central Hall in Azure Cloud City."

"All right!" Xiao Liuzi promptly left.

"Senior brother, will the Central Hall approve and sanction this?" Tieniu asked, a little worried.

"They will!" Zhang Teng was brimming with confidence.

"We aren't applying out of nowhere. We already asked the Central Hall to mediate the feud."

"The Central Hall should know what the Nanyang Zhou Clan is really like! Refusing mediation was the same as refusing to give the Central Hall face!"

"Now that I've issued a Challenge Letter, the Central Hall naturally won't stop me. They might even send experts to oversee the duel and prevent the Nanyang Commandery Prince from interfering. That wouldn't just be backing me up-it would also help the Central Hall regain its face!"

Understanding dawned on Tieniu.

"So that's it. Senior brother Zhang, did you think of this long ago?"

Hearing this, Lin Bei was instantly speechless.

Bullshit!

If Zhang Teng had truly thought things through so thoroughly, that business with the Six Harmonies Martial Hall would never have happened.

He had simply stumbled into it.

Sure enough.

Zhang Teng smiled awkwardly.

"That was just a coincidence. If Master hadn't opened my eyes, I wouldn't even have thought of issuing a Challenge Letter."

Tieniu asked worriedly.

"Ten days. Will that be enough?"

Zhang Teng was full of confidence.

"Ten days... I'll only grow stronger. I can't say I'm absolutely confident, but at least I'll have a fighting chance!"

Elsewhere.

At the Central Hall in Azure Cloud City.

Mu Qingyue was practicing her swordsmanship inside the Central Hall.

Suddenly, a female martial artist from the Central Hall ran over.

"Senior sister Qingyue, someone is looking for you!"

"Someone is looking for me?"

Mu Qingyue stopped practicing and put her hair up in a bun.

"Who?"

"Apparently, he calls himself Xiao Liuzi."

"Xiao Liuzi?" Mu Qingyue was baffled. "I don't know him. Send him away."

"Oh, right. He also said he's from the Martial Arts Grounds."

"From the Martial Arts Grounds? Then I know him. I'll go take a look." Mu Qingyue sheathed her sword.

"Senior sister, could the Martial Arts Grounds be asking for help? You mentioned before that the martial arts prodigy called Zhang Teng seemed to have a feud with the Nanyang Zhou Clan, and even your attempt to mediate failed," the female martial artist asked curiously.

Mu Qingyue smiled and nodded.

"Possibly. If the Martial Arts Grounds is willing to relocate here, that would be a good thing too! Their school is rather unusual. There's something to learn from it."

"The hall master agreed to let them move here?"

The female martial artist's face was full of curiosity.

"Of course! The Nanyang Zhou Clan refused to give our Central Hall face, so naturally, the hall master won't indulge them!"

At the mention of the Nanyang Zhou Clan, Mu Qingyue's face filled with displeasure as well.

As they spoke, the two arrived at the front of the Central Hall and saw Xiao Liuzi looking around.